Rays’ injured players eager to heal, compete

ST. PETERSBURG — Rays righthander Tyler Glasnow readily admitted he initially grew angry when he learned the team placed him on the 60-day injured list.

“I get it, but I was pretty (upset) initially,” Glasnow said. “I understand just coming off like a injury like that erring on the side of caution as opposed to going out there too early, but it’s mixed emotions. If I was in their position, I would probably do the same thing.

"It’s probably pretty smart not to push it.”

Of course, don’t you want your players upset about being held back? It actually might be more troubling if Glasnow wasn’t fighting to get back on the mound.

Sidelined since May 11 with a right forearm strain, Glasnow, liked how he had progressed since the injury and felt he could soon return to the lineup for Tampa Bay. Team officials, however, went with an abundance of caution and shifted Glasnow to the 60-day IL. The schedule now has him returning to action sometime after the All-Star break.

Manager Kevin Cash said he and the trainers often have to balance between a player’s desire to get back on the field and a doctor’s cautious prognostication.

“I can totally, I can totally respect that and understand," Cash said of Glasnow’s disappointment. “But sometimes it’s our job to make some difficult decisions that the players want to get in the way of simply because they care so much. But we’ve got to take a step back and be really responsible. He’s a big part of our club right now and going forward. When the injury came about, it just probably wasn’t realistic that he was going to bounce right back, especially given that he was providing six, seven innings of work every time.”

Rays third baseman Matt Duffy also has grown frustrated, not with team officials but with his inability to get back on the field. Duffy suffered a setback in his bid to overcome a hamstring issues that have kept him on the IL all year.

“I feel like I’m uniquely equipped to deal with this because I already have it in 2017,” said Duffy, who battled similar injuries two years ago. "Mentally, emotionally, other than being frustrated, I feel like I’m getting more and more determined each time this happens.

“I feel like I’ve learned more and more about my body every year and I also feel like I know less and less every year," Duffy added summing up his frustration.

In other injury news, catcher Mike Zunino (left quad strain) plans to start a rehab assignment and may be back in time for the Rays next road trip. Backup catcher Michael Perez (right oblique strain) is still healing. Joey Wendle (right wrist fracture) also continues to make good progress. Yandy Diaz remains on target to come off the IL on Thursday.